Mermaid in Love With A Man

Lisa, The Stream goddess

CHAPTER SIX

Mermaid in Love with a Man

During the reign of king Adegboyega, the population of Odogbagede had increased to about two thousand, eight hundred people. There was a daily evening market, which replaced the weekly market days of Adebowale’s reign, in this evening market, people can go to buy and to sell food stuff and farm products every evening.

Even the king’s palace had been rebuilt with concrete blocks with asbestos roofing sheets; the palace was the most elegant modern structure in Odogbagede community at that time.

During the reign of Adegboyega, civilization had crept into the Community, at this time; there was a Community primary school newly built by king Adegboyega with the money he received from the stream goddess, and named the school after his late father. The school was called; “Adebowale Memorial Primary School, Odogbagede.” King Adegboyega handed the management of the primary school to the Local Government, and invited the Chairman of the Local Government to the opening ceremony.

The Local Government Chairman came to honor the invitation, and at the end of the ceremony, the chairman promised to send six primary school teachers and a head teacher to the Community school as soon as possible. The school’s opening ceremony was a huge success, the Jigbo Masquerades (covered completely with palm leaves) performed as they somersaulted several times in mid-air to entertain the Guest of honor.

Children from the age of six years upward who were tall enough to touch their left ear by stretching their right hand over their head to the left ear were registered as students, because there was no record of their birth date.

Children who were older than six years in age but were short in stature were denied admission because of this practical method. That very day of opening the school, one hundred and twenty children gained admission into the primary school. One week later, six teachers, and one head teacher were transferred to the new school by the Local Government.

The head teacher’s name was Ola Odunuga, he brought all the teachers to the palace as soon as they arrived in the Community. King Adegboyega and his chiefs were already seated when the new teachers came into the palace.

All the teachers prostrated on the floor as Yoruba tradition demands, “May the king live long and lead the people well,” they all said in greetings. In those days, there was a lot of respect for School teachers; they were second to the gods at that time.

The king and his chiefs were well pleased, seeing educated men prostrated on the floor to greet the king in obedience to Yoruba tradition and respect for elders. “You are warmly welcome into our Community my children,” king Adegboyega said in response to their greetings.

As at that time, no female was educated enough to be a School teacher, in actual fact, all the children who registered for schooling in the Community were all male students; because parents in those days wrongly believed that the place of a woman should be in the kitchen and the bedroom, but not in a classroom.

Many people at that time believed that when a woman is educated, she would not be able to submit herself to her husband. However, time have changed over the years; there are female professors in this generation.

“The chiefs and I have agreed to give you accommodations, the head teacher will stay in one of the rooms in my palace, and other chiefs will take a teacher each to their respective homes,” King Adegboyega assured the teachers. The day the teachers arrived in the Community was a Friday, and the issue of where to stay was settled that very day.

Their work starts the following Monday, therefore, they had Saturday and Sunday to look around the Community; they even went to the stream to swim on Sunday. One of the teachers, Mr. Benjamin Adekitan found Lisa’s stream very soothing and calming to his nerves, the new teacher fell in love with the stream right away. “I love this cool water on my body, and I also love this gold colored fish swimming around me without fear,” Mr. Benjamin said, appreciating the gold-colored fish with a gentle touch. “Don’t touch any fish, king Adegboyega warned us not to touch any of the fishes in this stream,” Ola Odunuga, the head teacher cautioned his teachers. But unknown to Benjamin, the innocent love he professed for the gold colored fish had raised a big storm in the marine kingdom; love from a human being to any of them was a special word to every water creature. The goldfish was actually a very beautiful mermaid; but she had turned into a goldfish to feed herself in the stream when the teacher noticed it.

The gold fish reported to the goddess what the new teacher said lovingly about her.

“Do you also love him in return?” The goddess asked the gold fish. “Yes, but he is a human being, and I am just a fish-mermaid, even if I turn into a woman, I still have fish tails as legs to support me when I am supposed to be standing on my feet like the humans,” the goldfish said dejectedly. “I wish to have the charm which senior mermaids are using to transform their tails into legs when they want to go out and seduce men in order to steal their glory for the devil.”

“Don’t worry my child, once he expresses his love for you three times when you turn into a woman with fish tails, the rest is simple,” the goddess reassured the goldfish. “How is that possible?” The goldfish asked. “Whenever the teacher comes to swim in the stream, just make sure you are waiting for him in the stream in a woman form, and use your power to prevent other people from coming from the community; he will not be able to resist your beauty, you just leave the rest to me, I will handle it to your best advantage,” the goddess promised the goldfish. The goldfish decided to use her marine witchcraft power; to lure the new teacher to come and swim before going to school on Monday morning.

Very early on Monday morning before school, Benjamin felt a deep and strong desire to go to the stream, and he immediately left home very early in the morning with a plastic keg with which to fetch water after swimming.

He met no one on his way to the stream; however, all he wanted that morning was just to swim and fetch water, but as he descended down the Lisa’s hill and sighted the clean water of the stream few meters away, he also saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life swimming in the stream.

The goldfish-mermaid hid her tails very well from his view; she used her power to make her fish tail appeared to the teacher’s eyes as beautiful female legs.

Before Benjamin could control himself, he stuttered; “You are so beautiful my queen, allow me to love you, and I will love you to the end of the world, my honey, my princess, my all in all.” Immediately Benjamin mentioned love three times to the gold fish-mermaid, her fish tail miraculously disappeared, and two real beautiful pair of legs appeared to replace the fish tail!

The gold fish-mermaid, now a beautiful young woman; stood up from the water, and said; “Thank you, but my mother warned me not talk to strangers,” the strange woman responded. “I am not really a stranger, my name is Benjamin Adekitan, one of the new teachers in Adebowale Memorial primary school,” he introduced himself with pride.

The strange woman looked at the teacher speculatively with her sexy eyes for a moment. “Okay, I will tell my mother about you, if she approve our friendship, you will meet me here again tomorrow morning,” the strange woman promised.

Benjamin could not take his eyes away from the beautiful woman, not knowing she was a mermaid who had transformed into a beautiful and elegant young woman. He was spell bound as she stepped out of the stream, and walked majestically towards the hill which was the only way by which anyone could come and go out of Lisa’s stream.

When she was out of Benjamin’s view, she disappeared into thin air and returned back into the marine kingdom within a twinkle of an eye. Teacher Benjamin forgot about his quest to swim, he quickly fetched his water and ran out of the stream towards the hill with the hope of catching up with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

She looked like a princess to him, but which kingdom could she have come from without any escort or personal guards? He asked himself as he got to the top of the hill and the most beautiful woman in his life was nowhere to be found. Breathlessly, he searched the four corners of the forest, but there was no trace of the strange beautiful woman!

CHAPTER SEVEN